The Youth Services team at Flathead County Library plans and implements early literacy programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in Kalispell, Bigfork, and Columbia Falls. Our goal in every Storytime is to connect with young children and their caregivers through books, songs, and interactive activities that foster early literacy and social emotional skills.

Explore the Storytime Schedule

Tracks in the snow, tracks in the snow. Who made the tracks? Where do they go? This week’s storytime highlight is all about finding and identifying different tracks in snow. Join us as we play pretend, build wonderful wintry worlds, and explore the different tracks that animals leave behind for us to find!  

Books Read:

Don’t Wake Up the Bear!

by Marjorie Dennis Murray
ISBN: 9780761453307

Tracks in the Snow

by Wong Herbert Yee
ISBN: 9780312371340

Whose Tracks are These?

by Jim Nail
ISBN: 9781570980787 

Whose Prints?

by Kari Allen
ISBN: 9781665929592

Songs & Interactives:

If You’re a Penguin and You Know It (To tune of If You’re Happy and You Know it)

 

If you’re a penguin and you know it, flap your wings,
If you’re a penguin and you know it, flap your wings,
If you’re a penguin and you know it, and you really want to show it,
If you’re a penguin and you know it, flap your wings,
(Additional Verses: Stomp your feet/ waddle around )

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Activities:

Animal Tracks Matching Game

Matching games are a great way for kids to practice pattern recognition and build problem solving skills! We found this fun animal tracks matching game on Fox Farm Home’s website.

Sparkly White Playdough Snow

We paired our playdough “snow” with small animals this week and watched as kids created wonderful wintry worlds! 

Sensory Tub with Fake Snow

We used baking soda mixed with a little shaving cream and water to create our own fake snow mixture for the sensory tub this week! We found that a good trick is to use a spray bottle to ensure the water is widely distributed to create a wonderful snow like texture.  

Ready2Read Educational Trunks:

Did you know that you can borrow educational kits from the library? The Montana State Library system houses a variety of Ready2Read Goes Wild Educational Trunks available, with exciting topics such as Bears, Owls, and Bugs! We used the Tracks kit this week and brought out some rubber track molds for our sensory tub. To place a hold on these kits, visit our catalog and search Ready2Read, or ask a librarian for support.  

The state library also has some free virtual educational trunks that can be accessed here.